By: Ron Reagin

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Region play has not started in Region 1-7A. That changes in October.

The five-team region — Valdosta, Lowndes, Colquitt County, Camden County and Richmond Hill — has spent September on non-region slates.

The records look good, but the standings do not mean as much yet. The next five weeks will decide the region title, the first-round home game, and most of the PSR seeds that follow.

The non-region schedules for the majority of Region 1-7A has been managed well by all teams.  Colquitt has suffered a couple of early losses, as well as Camden. Luckily for them, Region 1 is an equalizer if they can win in one of the toughest regions in the state.

The October-November gauntlet

Region games come in a tight cluster:

Oct. 9 — Colquitt at Richmond Hill; Lowndes vs. Camden

Oct. 16 — Valdosta at Colquitt, Richmond Hill @Camden

Oct. 23 — Camden at Valdosta; Lowndes at Richmond Hill

Oct. 30 — Lowndes vs. Valdosta (Winnersville Classic); Colquitt at Camden

Nov. 6 — Lowndes at Colquitt; Richmond Hill at Valdosta

That is 10 region games in a five week span spilling over into the first week of November.

Every one of them counts twice: once in the region standings, and once in the PSR formula that will seed the 7A playoffs statewide.

What each team needs:

Valdosta has the best early PSR profile in the region and is projected as a high seed if it takes care of business.

The Wildcats still have to go to Moultrie, host Camden, go to Lowndes for the Winnersville Classic, and close with Richmond Hill. An unbeaten region run would lock up the title and a first-round home game.

Lowndes is 5-0 and has been dominant at home. The Vikings’ non-region wins have not carried much PSR weight. Region wins will.

Hosting Camden, going to Richmond Hill, hosting Valdosta, and finishing at Colquitt is a four-game stretch that will define Adam Carter’s fourth season.

Colquitt has a winning record after losses to Thomas County Central and Lee County.

Those two losses hurt the record and helped the schedule strength. The Packers still have a path to a high seed if they win their share in region play. The home date with Valdosta on Oct. 16 and the finale against Lowndes are the measuring sticks.

Camden needs region wins more than anyone. A decent start and a mid-teens PSR projection leave little margin.

Games at Lowndes, at Valdosta, and at home against Colquitt will decide whether the Wildcats are a playoff team with a decent seed or a team looking in from the outside.

Richmond Hill is off to a tremendous start and still the team the formula has treated the harshest. The early wins have not built much opponent winning percentage.

Hosting Colquitt, hosting Lowndes, and going to Valdosta in the finale is the chance to change that. Those games could flip the PSR picture fast if Richmond Hill can win continue winning in the Region.

Why October matters more this year

The region champion still gets a first-round home game. After that, PSR seeds the field 1 through 32.

A second-place team with a tougher résumé can be seeded higher than a champion from a weaker region. That is why these eight games are not just about first place. They are about who you beat and when you beat them.

Late-season upsets can wipe out a high PSR in a hurry. Region wins, in a tough region, can also climb a team several spots in a single Friday night.

The takeaway

September was about getting ready. October is about the region.

Valdosta and Lowndes enter as the favorites. Colquitt has the schedule profile to stay in the high-seed conversation. Camden and Richmond Hill have to prove it against the teams that will actually show up on the playoff résumé, and more importantly, show up in their PSR.

South Georgia fans are already looking forward to these matchups. This year they also decide the playoff seeds, and that makes October in Region 1 as important as it has been in a long time.